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To Our Valued Subscribers:

Here it is May 2020. On behalf of me and my American Recruiter colleagues, I hope you are all safe and well. For the first time in my lifetime, we have no NRA Show to look forward to. There are new rules for everything, fresh vocabulary words like “Social-Distancing”, and of course Stay at Home and Save Lives. I don’t know if this is the “new normal”; however, I do believe that we will emerge stronger than ever; and, when we do, me and my American Recruiters team have a tremendous group of talented perspective contract or fulltime people ready to hit the ground running to assist you and your team reengineering your “new normal”. In a recent article, penned by noted award winning writer John Baldoni, he lists several traits leaders need in a post crisis world. Here are a just two off the list that I found intriguing:

·     Out-of-the-box thinking. When the world is turned upside down, conventional thinking has failed. You need people who think differently. These are folks who can look at data and see patterns and make predictions that no one else can. They are relational thinkers who construct ideas by joining concepts from different disciplines.

·     Team ethos. The ability to think of how actions affect others is essential to leadership. A person who knows that leaders accomplish little by themselves but much by working with others creates camaraderie and teamwork.

Again, these are just two of a number, and if you would like to hear them all or to discuss how my colleagues and I can assist in your restart, give me a call. Enjoy the latest edition of American Recruiters Global Foodservice News and know that our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Craig Wilson

President

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National Restaurant Association Releases Coronavirus Reopening Guide for Industry

With Georgia set to allow restaurants to reopen dining rooms as early as Monday, the National Restaurant Association has released a comprehensive COVID-19 reopening guide for the industry to ensure a safe and secure environment for employees and guests. The 10-page guide, created with input from the FDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Environmental Protection Agency, lists a variety of recommendations such as sanitizing tabletops between seatings, discarding single-use items like paper menus and installing sneeze guards along buffet bars. The association, which says the industry is poised to lose $80 billion by the end of the month, said the guidance builds on already established best practices restaurants have put in place since the spread of COVID-19. “Adding to current best practices is an approachable way for owners and managers to put the modified protocols into practice as state and local officials begin to open communities,” Sherman Brown, executive vice president, training and certification, said in a statement. Other states poised to reopen non-essential businesses by May 1 include Tennessee and South Carolina. Reopening tips, which can be downloaded from the NRA website, include:

Where salad bars and buffets are permitted, they must have sneeze guards. Change, wash and sanitize utensils frequently and place appropriate barriers in open areas.

If providing a “grab and go” service, stock coolers to no more than minimum levels.

Thoroughly detail, clean and sanitize entire facility, especially if it has been closed.

Between seatings, clean and sanitize table condiments, digital ordering devices, check presenters, self-service areas, tabletops, and common touch areas. Single-use items should be discarded. Consider using rolled silverware and eliminating table presets.

Remove lemons and unwrapped straws from self-service drink stations.

Clean and sanitize reusable menus.

Discard paper menus after each customer use.

Avoid all food contact surfaces when using disinfectants.

Make hand sanitizer readily available to guests.

Consider touchless hand sanitizing solutions.

In terms of employees, the NRA said employee temperature checks can be done at the discretion of the employer though it is not mandated by the CDC. Employers should follow local and state requirements when it comes to face coverings, which the CDC recommends as an effective tool to mitigate risk from individuals who show COVID-19 symptoms. The COVID-19 pandemic has had catastrophic impacts on the restaurant industry due to shelter-at-home mandates. On Monday, the National Restaurant Association asked Congress for a $240 billion recovery fund for the restaurant industry, which has seen 8 million workers lose jobs since mid-March. The industry is on track to lose about $80 billion in revenue by the end of April with industry-wide losses pegged at $240 billion through the end of 2020. Those losses assume a gradual reopening of the economy in June. – Source Restaurant Hospitality.

Here’s Where Restaurants and Workers Can Get Relief Funding During Coronavirus

As COVID-19 numbers climb, shelter-in-place orders are issued in various states, and businesses shutter, restaurants are grappling with the unimaginable as it happens in real time. Many brands remain open for carryout and drive thru, and operations haven’t ceased entirely as of yet for foodservice businesses. But officials are warning that it will get worse before it gets better, and slimmed-down off-premises operations aren’t enough to keep restaurants (especially independent concepts) afloat. On March 18, a letter written by the National Restaurant Association to President Trump estimated that the industry would lose $225 billion and five to seven million people would be left jobless over the next few months. The letter suggested a variety of governmental measures that would assist the restaurant industry in particular, requesting direct/targeted financial relief as one form of aid. While federal stimulus packages are in the works, it could be awhile before governmental bodies agree on an approach, and before restaurants and other businesses see any cash. In the absence of aid, some other relief fund options have arisen for restaurants and foodservice workers in need. These are some of those programs, available to restaurants, bars, and restaurant employees all over the U.S. And diners are a crucial part of this equation, too: Placing carryout orders, purchasing gift cards, and donating to the below funds are all ways that consumers can help keep their favorite restaurants above water.

Restaurants and Bars:

Dining Bond Initiative

This collective is working to get funds to restaurants as soon as possible through Dining Bonds, or savings-bond-like vouchers that customers can purchase now and redeem for face value at a future date. People can call restaurants directly or, in some cases, visit the business’ website to buy the bonds.

SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program

Independent restaurants can apply for low-interest working capital loans of up to $2 million from the Small Business Association. These loans can be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills, and the interest rate is 3.75 percent for small businesses.

Southern Smoke Foundation

Food and beverage assistance nonprofit the Southern Smoke Foundation is raising money to donate to restaurants in crisis. Restaurants may apply for assistance using an entirely anonymous form on the nonprofit’s site.

Help Main Street

Created by the founders of restaurant-ordering platform Lunchbox, Help Main Street is giving diners the chance to provide cash support for local restaurants and other businesses through gift card purchases. All of Help Main Street’s proceeds are donated to help small businesses.

Local for Later

Local for Later is compiling an ongoing list of small businesses that customers can support through online gift card purchases. Businesses are broken down by location on Local for Later’s site, and a form is also available for submitting new eligible businesses.

Support Local

Garnett—the company behind USA TODAY and other media outlets—built its new Support Local platform to help people show support for local businesses during the coronavirus outbreak. The platform connects customers with gift cards available from their favorite businesses, and also allows users to add concepts that aren’t already on the list.

Workers:

Another Round, Another Rally

Hospitality financial resource nonprofit Another Round, Another Rally is offering $500 relief grants for hospitality workers who lost their jobs or have had their hours slashed due to coronavirus. Anyone in the hospitality industry is eligible and grants are distributed via a variety of cash apps and services.

Lift Your Spirits

The Association is operating a “tip your bartender” campaign that will raise cash for foodservice industry workers whose livelihoods are significantly impacted by COVID-19. Those who wish to participate must make a video of themselves mixing their favorite drink and toasting those affected in foodservice and hospitality; post the video to social media with #LiftYourSpirits; challenge friends to participate as well; and send a “tip” donation to the Association’s Educational Foundation.

Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation

This emergency fund is geared towards individual restaurant workers undergoing financial hardship due to the coronavirus. The fund is also providing zero interest loans for businesses to maintain payroll during closures or reopen once the virus begins to recede.

One Fair Wage

One Fair Wage’s Emergency Coronavirus Tipped and Service Worker Support Fund serves to give cash assistance to any service industry employee who needs it. The program is open to restaurant workers as well as delivery drivers and others. Workers who are already members of One Fair Wage or who sign up and participate in a confirmation interview will be qualified to receive assistance.

Unite Here Education and Support Fund

Unite Here is amassing funds to cover vital needs for hospitality workers who have been laid-off or made underemployed by covid-19. The group’s funds are used for maintaining family health insurance; food, rent, and utilities; replacing lost wages; and retraining for new jobs during the business downturn.

Go Tip ‘Em

Go Tip ‘Em gives people the chance to help a bartender affected by the coronavirus by donating to a virtual tip jar. All donors need to do is post a photo of a beer, wine, spirit, or cocktail on social media with #gotipem, select a bartender from a list on the Go Tip ‘Em site, and then send any amount to that bartender’s preferred payment service.

Spill the Dish

Spillthedish was designed to assist foodservice workers in locating healthy and supportive restaurant work environments. Now, the service is redirecting its efforts to support restaurant owners, donors, and employees with a database of funding opportunities available to those in the industry. Users can search specific results and even break them down by state.

USBG Bartender Emergency Assistance Program

The U.S. Bartenders Guild is running a covid-19 relief campaign that awards bartenders and their families with grants. The funds are available to even those who are not USBG members and bartenders, bar backs, bar servers, or anyone else engaged in the service of alcoholic beverages can apply. – Source: fsrmagazine

Staffing Shortages at Chicken Plant Forces Growers to ‘Depopulate’ Millions of Birds

In an open letter published as a full-page ad in Sunday’s New York Times, Washington Post and Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, John H. Tyson outlined Tyson Foods’ response to the ongoing coronavirus, but hinted that further closures — not only of Tyson Foods facilities, but competitors’ facilities as well — would put stress on the nation’s food supply. In recent weeks, Tyson Foods has been forced to temporarily pause operations at a number of plants following outbreaks of COVID-19, or because of staffing shortages caused by the pandemic. “In addition to meat shortages, this is a serious food waste issue,” Tyson claimed. “Farmers across the nation simply will not have anywhere to sell their livestock to be processed, when they could have fed the nation. Millions of animals – chickens, pigs and cattle – will be depopulated because of the closure of our processing facilities. The food supply chain is breaking.”

Tyson said the company had adopted several new practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at its processing facilities, including new social distancing requirements, workstation dividers, deep cleanings, and temperature screenings (some performed by infrared “walkthrough” scanners), among other precautionary measures. “The food supply chain is breaking,” Tyson Foods warns in a full page ad in NYT today. Still, Tyson said the supply chain will remain “vulnerable” and confirmed a “limited supply of our products” until its own plants could reopen. “The government bodies at the national, state and county levels must unite in a comprehensive way to allow our team members to work in safety without fear, panic or worry,” he wrote. “The private and public sectors must come together.” A representative for Tyson Foods told Fox News on Monday that its facilities were currently “running at reduced levels of production,” and were working hard to remain open. “But if it is the right decision to shut down more facilities, we will do so.” Tyson’s full-page ads come less than a week after the company was forced to suspend operations at its largest pork plant in Waterloo, Iowa. The company also temporarily shuttered plants in Indiana, Washington and another in Iowa. As of last week, four Tyson Foods employees had been reported to have died of coronavirus. Tyson’s announcement is just the latest upset to the meat industry, and potentially the U.S. food supply. JBS, one of the largest meat processing companies in the world, closed several of its U.S. facilities in response to COVID-19 outbreaks, the latest of which temporarily suspended operations just this Sunday, Bloomberg reported. And Smithfield Foods, the largest pork processor in the nation, closed its Sioux Falls plant after hundreds of its employees tested positive for COVID-19. The president and CEO warned of “severe, perhaps disastrous” consequences from the closures. “The closure of this facility, combined with a growing list of other protein plants that have shuttered across our industry, is pushing our country perilously close to the edge in terms of our meat supply,” Kenneth M. Sullivan, of Smithfield, said in a media release earlier this month. – Source: Fox News.

SkyLine Cook & Chill Receives Best of Market Award for Energy Efficiency

Electrolux Professional SkyLine Ovens and Blast Chillers with the all-in-one solution for Cook&Chill are now part of “Best of Market.” This is the result of an extensive reader survey on the range of services as well as products and concepts offered by industrial partners in Germany. Based on practical experience, the panel voted for the SkyLine generation as the winner in the category of energy efficiency. Hagen Fietz, Head of Sales Foodservice Equipment Germany at Electrolux Professional, commented: “Efficiency and truly replicable performance thanks to ergonomics and unmatched usability are the key benefits of the range, resulting in high food quality, reduced running costs and a comfortable working environment, thanks to the pioneering 4-star certified ergonomics (contributing to potential 75% reduction in sick leave and 25% increase in productivity for your business).” The revolution brought by the new range is given by the optimal link between cooking and blast chilling: This winning combination provides the operators with a streamlined, all-in-one food preparation process. SkyLine Ovens and Blast Chillers are perfectly synchronized and communicate with each other, thanks to the unique SkyDuo. This smart technology makes the work-life in the kitchen even leaner, preventing the error possibilities and ensuring a concretely seamless Cook&Chill experience. This helps ensure top food quality with the highest efficiency, productivity, and safety. “This opens new opportunities for our customers in every hospitality area – and a new horizon in cooking,” added Hagen Fietz. – Source: Electrolux Professional.

Boston Market Acquired by Engage Brands of Rohan Group of Companies

Boston Market announced that the company has been acquired by Engage Brands, LLC, one of the Rohan Group of Companies owned by real estate investor and restaurant operator, Jignesh Pandya. Boston Market’s former owner, Sun Capital Partners Inc., sold the Golden, Colo.-based company to Engage Brands, LLC for an undisclosed amount. “We are very pleased to partner with Engage Brands as we embark on our next chapter of growth,” said Eric Wyatt, CEO of Boston Market said in a statement.  “Engage Brands brings an enthusiastic, experienced, and successful ownership group to Boston Market, as well as access to resources that we need to continue to operate our business in this challenging environment. With the strategic and financial backing Jay and his team bring, we will continue to focus on key operational initiatives to improve guest experience, menu development, and focus on the growth of our brand.  We are now well-positioned to achieve future success during a period of unprecedented disruption for our industry.” The Rohan Group of Companies operates multiple franchised restaurant concepts and is a franchisee of brands including Pizza Hut and Checker’s & Rally’s. “I am thrilled to be a part of such an iconic brand as Boston Market, a truly great American restaurant chain with a high quality and delicious menu,” Pandya said in a statement.  “I look forward to working with and being a resource for the Boston Market team, preserving the jobs of our more than 5,500 team members, and helping set the brand on solid footing for the future.” The sale follows a tumultuous time for Boston Market: in July 2019 the company shuttered 10%of its stores due to store underperformance and seven months later, former CEO Frances Allen stepped down and was replaced by former Boston Market COO Eric Wyatt, who took the helm in February.  Piper Sandler Companies provided investment banking services and Mackinac Partners, Inc. provided the business advisory and restructuring services for the transaction. – Source: NRN.

Guy Fieri and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s relief fund hits $20M and can now help 40,000 restaurant workers

After an initial roadblock when the site was overwhelmed within the first few days, RERF has been processing grants and delivering much needed cash to former restaurant workers for over two weeks now, said Rob Gifford, NRAEF president. This week, the fund got a celebrity boost from former “The Office” actor John Krasinski’s new YouTube show, Some Good News, or SGN. This week’s restaurant-focused episode included guest appearances from Fieri, along with Momofuku Group founder David Chang, food personality Martha Stewart and actor Stanley Tucci. On the show, Krasinski also announced that PepsiCo had donated $3 million to RERF, bringing the fund to $20 million. “That gave me goosebumps,” said Fieri in the video. Launched on March 27, RERF is among many hospitality employee relief efforts across the country. But it has grown with the support of the industry and big backers, along with social media pushes by famous chefs, a Now This video with almost 400,000 views and celebrity endorsements. Opened for applications on April 2, the fund was initially set up as a one-time, $500 grant for restaurant workers to use within three weeks on housing, medical bills, student loans or other expenses. The grants were awarded on a “first-come, first-serve basis” but the site was overwhelmed with applications immediately an forced to close down. “[Running a relief fund with everyone remote] is not without its challenges and it’s certainly not for the faint of heart but we really believe in what we’re doing,” said Gifford. However, on April 9 the application process was reopened with a more user-friendly experience using registration rather than full applications initially. The registration was at 63,000 before being closed again. “You do the math of 63,000 people times $500 a piece, that could be over $30 million, and we were nowhere near there in our fundraising,” said Gifford. As of publication, 47,000 applications have been submitted after approval from registration. The team of 30 people at NRAEF can review more than 10,000 a week, Gifford said. The first award notice went out the third week of April and workers are beginning to see checks. To date, 10,000 people have been approved and notified. “The Pepsi gift allowed us to hit a really important milestone, which is $20 million in pledges received,” said Gifford. “Once that’s turned into cash, that’s 40,000 lives impacted and we’re continuing to fundraise against our goals.” To be eligible, hospitality workers must have been employed in the restaurant industry for at least 90 days, had a significant loss of income due to COVID-19 and they have to be able to document it. Income loss might include a cut in hours, or reduction of 50% or more in pay, for example. Applications are being judged on eligibility and “not all 63,000 people who apply for the fund are going to be proved eligible,” said Gifford. On the SGN show, which has had almost 2 million views since Sunday, Krasinski noted that the restaurant industry is the second largest private-sector employer providing jobs for more than 15 million people. The NRA estimates more than 8 million restaurant employees were laid off or furloughed by mid-April and that two out of three in the industry have lost their jobs. The show highlighted both small independent restaurants joining the cause to support those workers and bigger organizations like José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen, which to date has served more than 3 million meals to those in need during the pandemic. “These are the people who once defined your neighborhood,” Krasinski said, “and are now defining humanity.” – Source: Restaurant Hospitality.

Starbucks Stores will Begin Reopening as Early as the Week of May 4

As the United States begins to envision a road to recovery from the coronavirus pandemic in the not-so-far-off future, Starbucks plans to start reopening stores with limited service next week. The company confirmed in an earnings call Tuesday that they anticipated reopening 90% of their U.S. stores by early June with modified service that includes drive-thru, delivery, in-store pickup, and a new outdoors handoff solution, which allows customers to pick up their Starbucks orders without entering a store. Currently 50% of U.S. stores are completely closed. “As we begin the recovery process that requires ongoing monitoring to rapidly adapt and recover, we are well-adapted in our digital assets to expand service to customers and focus on the customer experience, beverage innovation and digital assets,” Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said during the call on Tuesday. “This [plan] allows us to regain the momentum we had prior to COVID. We expect to strengthen this competitive advantage through continued recovery […] and serve our community safely and with greater convenience.”

As previously reported in a preliminary financial sneak-peak earlier this month, same-store sales in the US declined 3% driven by a 7% decrease in transactions partially offset by a 5% increase in average ticket. U.S. stores that are open saw same-store sales decline 25% on average. Global same-store sales were down 10% driven by a 13% decrease in transactions and partially offset by 4% increase in average ticket. The ticket growth that helped boost the predictably depressed financial results is largely based on the increase in group orders. “As drive-thrus are only open, people are making family Starbucks runs or frontline responders are ordering for their whole [office or hospital],” Kevin Johnson said during the earnings call. ”If you’re going to take the time to do drive-thru, you’re going to order for your whole group.” China meanwhile is in the first stages of its recovery process, Johnson said during the earnings call. Starbucks China is expected to make a full recovery by the end of Q4 and already has 98% of its stores open. Starbucks meanwhile predicts that the U.S. markets will take longer to recover and that Q3 will be affected even more than Q2 by the global pandemic, considering the fact that Q2 had an exceptionally strong start. But despite the grim outlook for the rest of 2020, Starbucks is moving full speed ahead with marketing strategies and will begin pushing out its new spring beverages that were delayed by the pandemic as early as next week. Store re-openings will, much like the rest of the company’s recovery efforts, occur in carefully planned stages. “Only 30 stores will open their cafes [at first] and in those 30 stores there will be no seating and we will monitor what happens [before we move forward],” Starbucks COO Rosalind Brewer said during the call. “Then, later in the summer we’ll add curbside access to our stores. We’re managing what we’re learning and applying what we learn accordingly.”  Starbucks revenues for the second quarter decreased 5% to $5.99 billion as compared with 6.31 billion the year prior. Net income decreased 50.5% or 28 cents per share to $328.4 billion, down from $663.2 billion a year earlier or 53 cents per share the year before. Starbucks opened a net 255 net new stores in Q2, and as of March 29, had 32,050 stores globally. Source: NRN/The Wall Street Journal.

Fast Food Sector Hopes Stimulus Checks Boost Sales after Tough Quarter

Slumping sales at big fast food chains could get a boost as hungry and restless customers spend stimulus checks after long lockdowns, analysts and some operators said ahead of quarterly earnings that will show the extent of damage from the coronavirus slowdown. McDonald’s Corp. and Starbucks Corp. issued earnings updates on April 8 that showed a sales hit from coronavirus disruptions. Investors will get more information this week – along with updated outlooks – when they and other companies officially report. More states are beginning to ease restrictions on businesses that were shuttered to stem the spread of the outbreak – meaning more people will pick up meals and coffee before, after and during work. Tired of eating at home for weeks, consumers may also seek someone else’s cooking, and restaurants are trying new ways of operating including continued use of masks and social distancing alongside plexi-glass dividers at checkout. “Sales trends have appeared to bottom, with restaurants suggesting benefits from a reduction in pantry loading, stimulus checks and home cooking fatigue have supported improving trends throughout April,” wrote Credit Suisse analyst Lauren Silberman in a note. Stay-at-home orders from local governments and mandated closures have hurt big chains, though not as much as independently owned sit-down restaurants without drive-thrus or take-away. Global same store sales for McDonald’s, which reports earnings on Thursday, fell 3.4% in the first quarter, according to an investor update the company on released April 8. While the effect could linger, sales could be on the upswing after falling as much as 30% in the first week of April, according to a Kalinowski Equity Research survey of 20 franchisees published on Monday. Broadly, breakfast and late night sales suffered, said Peter Saleh, restaurants analyst at BTIG. Nobody knows how many consumers will return and how quickly, he said. Brands with widely used, easy to operate apps – including the ability to order and pay in advance for pick up – may fare better, as results for Chipotle Mexican Grill and Domino’s Pizza showed last week. That is critical. You’re seeing digital spike for almost every brand out there,” Saleh said. “Those are exceedingly important avenues to the recovery.” Also reporting this week are Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc. and YUM! Brands Inc., which owns Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and The Habit Burger Grill, as well as Restaurant Brands International Inc., which owns Burger King, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Tim Hortons. Starbucks, which reports second-quarter results Tuesday afternoon, still had only 44% of its U.S. company-run stores open as of the last week of March, it said in an April 8 update. – Source: Reuters.

Franchise Group Leans on Parent IHOP Brand in Dining-Room re-Openings

MBN Brands also applying standards to Jimmy John’s, Burger King units, partner Leo Nolan says. Franchisees of multiple brands in multiple states face heightened hurdles in reopening restaurants in the coronavirus pandemic, but MBN Brands has leaned on the expertise of the parent companies to help it navigate the challenges. “IHOP has been great. The [parent] Dine Brand guys have been great,” said Leo Nolan, a partner in New York-based MBN Brands, whose two IHOP unit will be re-opening in Augusta, Ga., on May 1. MBN Brands, founded by Kevin Mulcahy, Michael Mulcahy, Wyatt Batchelor and Nolan, acquired its first restaurants last March and has grown to also include 23 Jimmy John’s and 11 Burger King units in California, Colorado, Georgia, Missouri and Utah.

While rolling waves of states and cities imposed restrictions on dine-in service to stem the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus in March, they also staggered the re-openings with different rules for different local jurisdictions. The rules, Nolan said during a Zoom interview on Monday, changed seemingly by the hour. Fortunately, he added, the corporate teams for each of the brands had been working on re-opening plans for weeks. Jimmy John’s is owned by Atlanta-based Inspire Brands, Burger King by Toronto-based Restaurant Brands International and IHOP by Glendale, Calif.-based Dine Brands Global Inc. “They have been more or less ready for this since about two weeks into this slowdown,” Nolan said. “They have been working really, really hard on making sure everyone is ready.” For example, the IHOP dining rooms will re-open with six-foot distances between tables, reduced food offerings and paper menus instead of the plastic-covered ones typical before the coronavirus closures. “There’s been a lot of work in the past 10 days to two weeks getting ready for that with the focus on the health and safety of our guests and our team members,” Nolan said. In addition, the IHOP units will have nothing on the tables, including the traditional selection of syrups and the coffee servers for customers to serve themselves. “It’s all to keep people healthy,” Nolan said. MBN Brands has kept its Burger King units, with drive-thru capacity, and Jimmy John’s units open. Jimmy John’s has its own cadre of drivers. “That’s been a strong aspect,” Nolan said. About a third of the Jimmy John’s units also have drive-thru areas. The challenge, Nolan said, has “been making sure people know we are open.” That has been through arterial signage as well as a program to help medical teams at Veteran’s Administration hospitals. Nolan said his partner Batchelor is a former Army Ranger, so he had a special connection to the veterans’ hospitals. MBN brand’s Jimmy John’s units offered the #WeGotYour6 campaign to provide meals to workers at VA hospitals in Arkansas, Colorado, Missouri and Utah. Partnering with Legacies Alive, a non-profit organization that supports Gold Star Military Families, the GoFundMe effort so far has raised $13,000 for meals at the VA Hospitals. Check out the remainder of Nation’s Restaurant News’ interview with Nolan in the Zoom video below. – Source: NRN.

Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Answer to Pandemic Junk Food Diet: 5 New Lifestyle Bowls

Noting a trend where consumers are eating more junk food as they shelter at home, Chipotle Mexican Grill has developed a new line of Lifestyle Bowls as an antidote to anyone looking to break their current unhealthy pandemic diet. The five bowls are inspired by wellness experts and available for a limited time through Chipotle’s digital ordering channels. The Newport Beach, Calif.-based fast casual chain, which has logged record digital sales during the coronavirus pandemic, created the new line of bowls after reviewing results of a survey about consumer eating habits. The joint study, conducted by the chain and YouGov, found that 35% of Americans surveyed are struggling to maintain healthy lifestyles amid stay-at-home mandates. Four in 10 are not maintaining a regular workout schedule, and 36% are turning to eating processed foods or junk food during this time of home isolation, the company said Tuesday. A majority, or 67%, of participants are also avoiding the grocery store.

That prompted Chipotle to create a line of healthy bowls that are the “go to” orders of top wellness experts including professional basketball trainer Chris Brickley, cycling instructor Cody Rigsby, nutrition expert Dr. Mark Hyman and fitness athletes Tia-Clair Toomey and Mat Fraser. The bowls are in addition to Chipotle’s Lifestyle Bowls, entrees that are customized to meet specific diets such as keto and Whole30. In Southern California, bowl prices listed on the company’s branded app range from $9.50 to $12.10.  The Cody Rigsby Salad, for example, contains supergreens lettuce, light brown rice, double chicken, fajita veggies, fresh tomato salsa, tomatillo-green chili salsa and guacamole. Go to the Chipotle app to learn more. It is listed as $12.10 on the app. “Our fully customizable menu featuring only real ingredients is an ally for consumers looking to reignite their commitment to a healthier lifestyle,” Chris Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer, said in a statement. “While we have existing Lifestyle Bowls for specific diets, we’re encouraging our fans to eat healthy their way with new menu options inspired by orders from some of our most influential fans in the fitness world.” Chipotle is offering free delivery for orders of $10 or more placed on its digital channels through April 30. – Source: NRN.

FDA Addresses Food Safety During and After Pandemic

Government and industry are working to ensure the safety of the US food supply remains strong during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic even as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been forced to curtail certain inspections and other activities for the duration, Frank Yiannas, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for food policy and response, asserted in an interview published by the agency April 16. Mr. Yiannas outlined changes to FDA inspection activities during the pandemic, the importance of industry carrying out its responsibilities under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and how lessons learned during the pandemic may shape the approach of both the agency and industry to ensuring the safety of the food supply in the future. “For the time being, we are not doing in-person routine surveillance inspections of farms and food facilities in this country and others that export foods to the United States,” Mr. Yiannas confirmed. “We are doing this to limit exposure to the virus and out of concern for the safety of FDA investigators, state investigators and workers in these farms and facilities as people all over the world are sheltering in place.” Mr. Yiannas said the FDA is still conducting critical inspections when needed. “Such inspections could be necessitated by natural disasters, outbreaks of food illness, Class 1 recalls and, in some cases, inspections of firms with a poor track record when it comes to food safety,” he said. With regard to imported foods, product examinations at the ports of entry continue as informed by the use of PREDICT, the FDA’s risk-based import screening tool. The FDA also is conducting a limited number of remote inspections involving the electronic submission of records by importers covered by the Foreign Supplier Verification Program requirements. “We are prioritizing importers of food from foreign suppliers whose onsite food facility or farm inspections have been postponed due to COVID-19,” Mr. Yiannas said. But most important, Mr. Yiannas pointed to the responsibilities of industry under FSMA, which changed the paradigm on food safety to prevention from detection. “FDA-regulated facilities are required to have preventive controls in place each and every day to ensure that the foods they produce are safe,” Mr. Yiannas said. “Industry has the primary responsibility to ensure that the foods they produce are safe, and, by and large, they’re doing an amazing job at providing safe and available food to consumers. Clearly, at this critical time, food safety is as important as it has ever been, and we expect food producers to redouble their food safety efforts.” Asked about the status of the FDA’s forward-looking New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative, Mr. Yiannas said, “We had planned to publish the New Era of Smarter Food Safety blueprint in March but had to shift our efforts to pandemic response.” The New Era initiative announced last year aims to create a more digital, traceable and safer food system by leveraging new technologies, analytical tools and approaches to keep pace with the rapid changes underway in the production and distribution of food. “We have been working behind the scenes on the framework that will support this work going forward and will publish the blueprint when the time is right,” Mr. Yiannas said. “But the issues and challenges we’ve seen in our pandemic response has shown me how timely this work is and how valuable it will be in the future. “For example, part of the New Era work involves dealing with the reality of e-commerce as more and more consumers order foods online that are delivered right to their door. “We have been considering what steps we need to take to ensure the safety of those foods in how they are produced, packaged and transported. When we first started talking about this, we were anticipating that 20% of groceries would be ordered online by 2023. That benchmark may have been blown out of the water by consumers sheltering in place. I don’t see that trend reversing when the crisis has passed.” Another core element of the New Era initiative is to foster and support food safety cultures on farms and in food facilities. “We do not believe we will make dramatic improvements in reducing the burden of foodborne disease without addressing how employees think about food safety and how they demonstrate a commitment to this goal in how they do their jobs,” Mr. Yiannas said. “It’s clear to me that a food safety culture is also one that protects the employees from risks associated with workers who are sick, regardless of the type of virus or bacteria, and supports the maintenance of clean and sanitized facilities.” – Source: Food Business News.

How the FDA Handles Inspections During COVID-19

With the travel restrictions surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other agencies have been forced to change the way they routinely handle food audits and inspections. “Currently, the FDA has suspended routine food safety inspections,” said Earl Arnold, manager, food defense/FSMA quality assurance, North America, for AIB International. “They are continuing for cause inspections, while providing support and oversight on recalls. Food Business News’ sister publication Baking & Snack asked Mr. Arnold, one of the leading experts on FDA inspections and audits, on what to expect on the inspection front with various travel and stay-at-home restrictions and what inspectors may be looking for if they show up at a food facility. Overall, the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other government agencies are providing a host of guidance on their websites. However, ultimate answers to many questions involve assessing the facts of each case individually and often in conjunction with local or state jurisdictions. That’s why many organizations, including the American Bakers Association, the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association, SNAC International and others have been offering daily and weekly updates or regular webcasts to keep their members abreast of the latest developments in this fluid food safety environment. AIB International, for instance, is providing an array of virtual services, such as remote consulting, virtual inspections and online instruction and training, for the international baking community. Additionally, its instructors are providing free weekly webinars as well as the latest resources on COVID-19 and food safety at www.aibinternational.com.

Baking & Snack: What areas of an FDA inspection might be more important now than in the past?

Earl Arnold: Though the FDA has suspended routine food safety inspections, there are two areas of the audit that might be more important than ever, the first of which is sanitation. More emphasis may be needed on daily cleaning tasks for areas such as doors, break rooms and restrooms. Additionally, some facilities may be conducting longer production runs with fewer products. This could create issues they have not considered before. The second area of importance is the self-inspection program. This should be more focused on reviewing personnel practices like washing hands, monitoring signs of employee illnesses, confirming that equipment cleaning and maintenance is occurring as needed, and other items. How are they determining which ones to visit because of travel restrictions? Mr. Arnold: The FDA is only visiting those facilities that are involved in potential food safety issues like customer complaints to FDA that may be the result of unsafe food, or in the event facilities initiate a recall. What is the proper way for a food company to handle a situation where they have concerns about the health of a government or outside inspector wanting to inspect their bakery?

Mr. Arnold: The FDA has stated they will work with facilities to ensure worker health and safety. Some agencies are providing letters stating the health of the inspector, while others are submitting to temperature checks. The FDA has also stated they could review records remotely.

What is the FDA looking at more closely because of the COVID-19 situation?

Mr. Arnold: Before this health crisis, the FDA had been focusing most of their routine inspections on a “back to basics” philosophy. Most of the areas that facilities should be focusing on are included in the regulatory common good manufacturing practices, such as hand washing and employee illness.

Additionally, the Food Safety Modernization Act asks facilities to review food safety and food defense plans when significant changes occur. As this health crisis continues and facilities modify production, hire more temporary personnel and make other changes, each needs to be reviewed to determine if new or temporary controls are needed.

What GMPs are most critical now? Any good tips?

Mr. Arnold: Adhering to the GMPs is critical. This includes washing hands frequently and as required, wearing food safety equipment and uniforms correctly, and employees reporting to supervisors when they are not feeling well. Also important are cleaning programs, as daily cleaning schedules may need to be increased and should include handwashing sinks, restrooms, common employee areas and high-traffic areas.

What is AIB International providing in terms of virtual services?

Mr. Arnold: Our virtual solutions include training, inspections and consulting. Each of these are convenient, cost-effective and provide our expertise without travel. Being virtual also gives manufacturers the opportunity to immediately apply what they’ve learned and raise the standard for food safety in their facilities. – Source: Food Business News / /Dan Maloveny.

Brinker to Buy 116 Chili’s Grill & Bar Restaurants

Louisville, Ky.-based ERJ Dining has been a franchisee of Brinker’s for the past 14 years. According to Brinker, the Chili’s restaurants primarily are located in the Midwest and generate approximately $300 million in annualized revenue. “This acquisition is a compelling opportunity to further invest in our brand, broaden our scale and create growth in earnings and cash flow,” said Joseph G. Taylor, chief financial officer and executive vice-president of Brinker. “We appreciate the relationship we developed with ERJ over the years and view these well-established restaurants as a solid foundation for further growth in these markets.” Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but Brinker said it plans to fund the purchase using its existing credit facility. The acquisition is expected to be earnings-per-share accretive and generate incremental free cash flow in fiscal 2020, the company said. One of the world’s largest casual dining restaurant companies, Brinker opened, operated or franchised 1,623 Chili’s Grill & Bar restaurants as of March 27. – Source: Food Business News.

Restaurants get Creative with off-Premises Dining to Create a Sense of Place

The restaurant industry is reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced the closure of tens of thousands of eateries and required major changes from those able to remain open. Off-premises dining — which has seen rapid growth over the past few years due to demand for convenience — is currently the only option for many consumers looking to eat a meal they didn’t cook themselves. Creating special menu items, paying extra attention to packaging and infusing their brand identity into carryout and delivery orders allows restaurants to create a sense of place. With demand for off-premises likely to continue even after establishments start opening back up, putting their unique stamp on the takeout experience can help restaurants stay top of mind with diners until they’re ready to dine out again. “Dining out is not only about the food. It’s about the complete experience,” said Amy Shipley, managing director and partner at marketing services firm Sterling-Rice Group. “Creating a sense of place is critical now because the experiences elevate our mood and enhance our food,” she said. Make eating in a special occasion. To help customers recreate the restaurant experience at home, operators are getting creative by “adding surprise appetizers and desserts; developing creative family meals with activity ideas or paired wine and beverages; offering interactive cooking and cocktail kits or writing personal thank you notes,” Shipley said. Several states and jurisdictions have temporarily relaxed rules that previously prohibited restaurants from delivering alcoholic beverages. These newly loosened laws make it possible for diners to enjoy some of the same drinks they were used to ordering when dining out. In New York City, restaurants are seeing demand for everything from single cocktails to growlers and martini packages complete with garnishes and glassware, the New York Times reported. In Silver Spring, Md., El Sapo Cuban Social Club offers its signature mojitos to go in single cups or pitchers, along with a pared-down menu that diners can order for delivery or pickup. When the dining room closed, the restaurant quickly pivoted by opening a takeout window, dubbed La Ventanita, where lively music and a brightly painted menu signal to locals that they are still open for business. “Painting the windows with the menu specials in bold colors was another way to evoke energy and happiness in these times where a smile and a sincere, ‘how are you doing?’ goes a long way,” El Sapo’s Ilsy Serrano said. For more family-friendly off-premises offerings, many foodservice operators have expanded free kids meal deals or rolled out family meal packages. Dickey’s Barbecue Pit has long allowed kids to eat for free in its restaurants. When the pandemic closed its dining rooms, the Texas-based chain began offering free kids meals online and added family meal bundles to the menu, according to Nation Restaurant News For families whose birthday celebrations have been interrupted (or turned into Zoom meetings) by the coronavirus pandemic, Chuck E. Cheese is offering birthday packages that include pizzas, party favors and tickets to use on a future visit. Deliver a restaurant-quality experience. Successful restaurant operators know that food is only part of the reason people love eating out. Special touches can help lend a feeling of hospitality to off-premises orders. For example, Shipley said, “we’re seeing Tex-Mex chains delivering freshly-made chips with reheating directions [and] wings concepts delivering signature sauces in innovative dipping boxes.” Proper packaging helps food maintain the proper temperature and texture, and branded boxes, bags and cups can give customers a jolt of nostalgia for their favorite restaurant. Additionally, packaging plays a key role in restaurants’ ability to make diners feel safe about eating out during the pandemic. “Operators are offering ‘black glove’ service, carefully packaging items with re-heating instructions and tamper- and temperature-proof packaging,” said Dina Paz, chef and culinary director at Sterling-Rice Group. “Updating customers about cleaning and sanitizing procedures via social media, website or flyers, including photos of cooks and delivery drivers wearing masks and gloves or staff cleaning common areas and equipment all go a long way in reassuring guests about health and safety,” she said. Restaurant Innovation Smart Brief.

Thank you for reading The Global Foodservice E-newsletter from American Recruiters!

 

Craig Wilson
312-780-7510
cwilson@ariteam.com

Michael Page
312-780-7505
mpage@ariteam.com

Ted Agins
312-780-7508
tagins@ariteam.com

Mario Schacher
847-909-1237
mschacher@yahoo.com

DJ Amborski
312-780-7509
djamborski@ariteam.com

Ron Alonzo
504-451-7395
ralonzo@ariteam.com

Paul Rychlewski
312-780-7507
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Robyn L. Burke

312.780.7506

rburke@ariteam.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

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